


Mystic Messenger One Shots

by winnielewoo



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: A WHOLE LOTTA AUs, Action, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kinda gay ngl, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Original Character(s), Pining, Romance, Thriller, a lot of ideas but very little writing willpower, clusterfuck of writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winnielewoo/pseuds/winnielewoo
Summary: I'm too obsessed with this otome game, so of course I'm going to write about them.Just a collection of one shots about MysMes, each fluctuating in length - some are drabbles/small moments between characters and some full short stories. Genres will vary and so will the pairings!
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, 707 | Choi Luciel/Original Character(s), 707 | Choi Luciel/Reader, 707 | Choi Luciel/Vanderwood/Reader, Choi Saeran/Main Character, Choi Saeran/Original Character(s), Choi Saeran/Reader, Han Jumin & V | Kim Jihyun, Han Jumin/Main Character, Han Jumin/Original Character(s), Han Jumin/Reader, Kang Jaehee (Mystic Messenger)/Original Female Character(s), Kang Jaehee (Mystic Messenger)/Reader, Kang Jaehee/Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Kang Jaehee/Zen | Ryu Hyun, Kim Yoosung & Original Character(s), Kim Yoosung/Main Character, Kim Yoosung/Reader, V | Kim Jihyun & Main Character, V | Kim Jihyun & Reader, Vanderwood (Mystic Messenger)/Original Character(s), Vanderwood (Mystic Messenger)/Reader, Vanderwood/Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Zen | Ryu Hyun & Original Character(s), Zen | Ryu Hyun/Main Character, Zen | Ryu Hyun/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	1. beginnings with you. - ( Jaehee x MC )

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehee and MC get a first look at their new coffee shop.

MC is sat across the dusted interior, empty as a carcass as the years of age shimmer across each surface. Her eyes explore each crook and corner of this small establishment, the pressed dents on each wooden flooring. There's a fixed frown on her lips, for this place wasn't exactly the most desirable location to open a coffee shop.  
  
"It's...well." MC twists her gaze at her lover, whose eyes wander and glimmer with fascination. This seems to be everything she's dreamed of.   
  
"I find it wonderful," Jaehee breathes, taking in the space. Her voice is filled with enthusiasm, trickled with childlike wonder. "We can put the bar here," she motions, "and we can hang the rustic hanging lights across the streamline here."  
  
She's glowing, and MC knows it. She seems so much more excited from the mere outline of this bareback place than she was all those years working in a place she never fitted into. Her hair's grown to her shoulders now - MC had no idea it curled the way it did, perfectly complimenting her seamless frame. There's a new, exuberant look about her that MC's never seen before - and perhaps it's the fact that she's _free_ , and she always will be from now on (she says it's because of MC, but MC knows she's always had it in her).

It could almost make her love this enigma of a woman even more.

"It was so hard finding a vacated place that wasn't owned by C&R," she hears her sigh, still strolling around the place. The walls are a faded grey, paint scraped off from its previous owners. MC could almost smell hints of a corpse if she let's herself linger on. It's difficult to imagine this place as anything more than it already is. "We must be extremely lucky."

But the more she smiles, the more MC agrees.

MC, heaving a defeated sigh, snakes her arms around Jaehee's waist. Her chin rests on the woman's shoulder, feeling the now heated cheeks of the girl she's just pulled close.

"I think it's beautiful," she grins, planting a gentle kiss on the curve of her neck as she tries to reexamine the future of their new life together, in this small little establishment they've called their own.


	2. your usual, sir? - (Yoosung x female!Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is a barista at a coffee shop and hates their job. The only thing that entertains them is a certain blond haired customer who always brings his blind dates to the place - and this time, he's getting stood up. 
> 
> (A coffee shop au, humor, a little fluff)

“Um, sorry, could you spell your name out for me again?" 

"Haneul. _Han. Eul_."

“Okay, _Han. Uel_." 

You will never be cut out for jobs like this. Interacting with customers felt like a daily bullet wound through the chest - you hate talking to strangers when it isn't necessary, especially when you have to force yourself to be polite. You're trapped within these enclosed walls, poignant and thickly laced aromas drifting through the air, and bound to attract even more customers in like moths to a flame.

But alas, there's nothing you can do if it means you're getting paid to do this. You desperately needed a job, after all, to support your studies. 

The low chatter hums lightly across each table, overlapping in delicate layers that fall wistfully above your head. You're tossed through each endless loop you crave no participation in - edging from the line of customers that pool before you. 

_The paycheck trumps all_ , you remind yourself, etching a name you will soon forget onto the plastic coffee cup with a faded sharpie. The ink's running out, but you're just going to have to squeeze it out anyway. 

“Our barista, (Y/N), has a gift,” your coworker grins in response to a compliment regarding the drink you've just brewed for them. At least you've gotten to use your fascination for coffee to good use - all the customers that came by loved the distinct taste of your coffee. Perhaps, if you're confident enough, you could even start your own place. 

You then laugh, bitterly, at the mere thought of it. Your goals are fixated elsewhere, to your satisfied customers' dismay. Somewhere far beyond the realms of this stupid coffee shop. 

However, throughout the span of you working here, the familiar face of a particular customer begins to provide you some form of ample entertainment. He sits here now, at his regular seat by the small rounded table at the corner, next to the window.

Yoosung, his name is _. Yoosung, like the star,_ he teased the first time he strode into the cafe. He had the most infuriating shade of blonde hair you've ever seen, softened features stuck in a bright jaded hoodie and polite grins that only youthful idiots such as himself could master. 

“Woah,” your coworker, Chaeyoung, gasped on that day, poking at your shoulder with her elbow. “He's so cute, like a puppy. You think he's single?"

“He looks like a child, you mean," You replied blankly, simmering the coffee beans. "Maybe he reminds you of your nephew." She snickered in response, playfully shoving you. 

Now, his puppy-like appearance isn't enough to maintain your attention. What really keeps you interested is the reason why he's always here in the first place. 

"I wonder if he's met another girl," Chaeyoung whispers, helping you move the pastries onto the display case. "The last one was so loud! I could hear her talk about her diseased hamster all the way from here." 

"Who knows," you chuckle halfheartedly. "You might be his next victim."

"Oh, gosh, don't say that!" 

As it would seem, the college student had his indefinite misfortunes when it came to love and his endless set of blind dates - a hopeless romantic, many would call it, despite how bright and eccentric he seemed to be. You picked up the running theme whenever he would show up here with a new face every week or two. And whenever he returned, sitting at his usual seat, looking more defeated each time, you knew his conquest for finding love had failed yet again.

Either way, to you and Chaeyoung, he's a spectacle to observe. To only you in particular, it's like a game show you keep to yourself to make your days more interesting.

"Will he be meeting his future wife today, or will he go back to square one, and lose the million dollar grand prize?" You joke to yourself in hushed tones, deepening your voice for effect as Yoosung steps up to the counter, a faded smile pressed against his lips. 

“Good morning, sir,” Chaeyoung greets whimsically. “The usual?”

“Uh, not yet, thanks,” he replies, widening his forced grin. “I’m still waiting for someone.”

“Oh, of course,” You overhear your colleague reply. 

Would he get stood up this time? What luck. You wouldn't even be able to see his choice of the week today...but decidedly, you keep your patience to the same extent as he is, habitually peering out the window with those doll-like violet eyes of his in search for his date. 

Minutes begin to trail into hours, yet the boy still sits silently by the small rounded table, the chair opposite barren. After the first half hour, you slip a cheesecake on the house out of pity (Chaeyoung's, anyway. She said she'd put it on her tab). He yelps, almost surprised, from your gesture. You're also a bit taken aback yourself, but you might as well help the cafe's sales by prodding at this man into staying longer. 

"Oh," he says, ushering the plate away. "I didn't order this."

"I know," you say, pushing it back. "You can take it. It's for free."

"Ah..." He trails off, unsure of what to say. You know he's only trying to be polite. 

"Just take it," you conclude, your tone almost snappy. "While you wait, anyway." 

He laughs, albeit a little awkwardly. He's realised you've caught on, and now he's embarrassed. "Oh, okay. Thank you."

"Alright, enjoy." You press the now empty tray against your chest, turning your back to him. For some reason, you can feel his gaze fixating onto you, even as you return to the counter. But you pay no heed to it - there was no meaning to the gesture you just did. Freebies were a usual thing that happened here, anyway.

Finally, you find yourselves here. Two hours later. Understandably, his bright demeanour now sours into sweat, despite the cool air that drafts through the establishment. He's hunched over, glancing at his phone, pressing it against his cheek, then typing furiously with his fingers. This routine went on every five minutes in that exact order - you find it upon yourself to keep a record of it.

"Poor thing," Chaeyoung says, hustling next to you, tying her mess of curls into a small ponytail. "We already figured he was getting stood up before he did." 

You let out a deep exhale, fixing up another drink for the order that just came in. "He doesn't look like it, but he doesn't give up, doesn't he?"

"Right? I would've left after an hour in a rage!" 

The tables empty out as you enter your daily slump, marking the end of lunch break hour. Yoosung is still glancing around while you clean up the tables dismissively. 

You suddenly feel the inclination to say something to him. You're never usually in the mood to interact with a customer, but you surely aren't absolutely heartless. Maybe encouraging the poor thing to pack it up and go home would be the right thing to do. 

Almost immediately, you swat away the very suggestion of it. This is still none of your business, no matter how much you seemed to observe him. It's _his_ love life, not yours.

 _"Seven-ssi,"_ your ears latch onto him muttering. _"I'm going to kill you."_

Was this Seven girl his date? What a turn of events for him to suddenly get angry. 

“I feel a little bad,” Chaeyoung hums as you return to the counter. “He's been sitting alone for, like...half the day. Doesn’t he have somewhere to go?”

“Prob’ly not.” Your hands blindly maneuver the coffee presser, before pouring the drink smoothly into the ceramic mug, intricately decorated. Your curl the milk creamer to form the shape of a heart, the steam flushing your cheeks. 

_His usual._

Begrudgingly, you find yourself planting the drink onto his table. You think of this as a gesture of kindness, which only results in the both of you catching each other's eyes. One of you ponder on whether or not you should speak first, before the other exhales a chuckle which solemnly breaks the tension. 

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, accepting the drink before blowing at it. Hopefully, he knows you aren't giving it to him for free. "It's obvious I got stood up, right?" 

After a pause, you glance around suggestively. “Well…you've been here for two hours, so..."

"My friend set me up with her," the boy explains, as if you took this as an invitation to care. "She's his coworker, but I suppose she's not showing up..."

"Took you long enough," you joke, allowing yourself to sit down in front of him after he motions at the empty seat. You could take a break, anyway. And you don't mind this civil company while you rest.

"Hey," he pouts, before pressing the mug to his lips. "Is that what you guys think of me now? That's a bit mean."

"Well, it's not like none of us will notice." Your tone is sarcastic, but you find yourself smiling. You like teasing him. "Not that it's any of my business, but...this blind date thing really isn't working for you." 

He gasps as he takes a gulp of your coffee. "Wow, this is really good. Even better than usual." He's ignored your comment, and you've definitely noticed. But perhaps that's what you get for prying into his private business. 

"How so?"

"I was at a coffee club for a while," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I guess I can tell the difference in quality. But yours is always top notch!" Giggling, he takes another sip.

"It's probably why I always come here," he continues. 

You're used to receiving such compliments on your brewing, but his tone suggests how fervent his love for your coffee is. It almost pokes at your heartstrings. 

But instead of lingering on such an emotion, you offer a smirk as he drinks away. "I'm glad my skills impress a coffee club member such as yourself, Yoosung." 

"Oh!" He lowers his mug. "You remember my name?"

You pause, thinking of what to say next. You don't know why you suddenly feel embarrassed, as if knowing his name was something to get bashful about. _He's a regular customer_ , you think, and what you use as a reply to him.

"Like the star," you remind him, which makes the boy laugh again, his cheeks a bursting red. He's so bubbly it makes you want to throw up. 

But surprisingly enough, you don't.

"Then, it's a bit weird I don't know what your name is." His gaze dwindles onto your name tag on your chest. You suddenly become conscious of this situation - you, actively having conversation with a customer, and Chaeyoung, mocking you from the counter. 

"...(Y/N)." He reads, which makes you turn back to him. "What a cute name." You can nearly hear him finish his sentence with, _well, not as cute as mine, anyway._

You roll your eyes, folding your arms. You might as well relish this while you can.

"You didn't answer me earlier," you prod, an eyebrow raised as you observe the way he still ponders out at the window. The mention of what you asked earlier suddenly averts his focus back to you, his reaction visibly shrivelling as he hesitates to answer.

"I'd rather not...well, you know. It's just that I should start thinking about getting a girlfriend at this age."

"You look way too young to be considering that." 

"Hey!" He jolts, eyebrows playfully furrowed. You shrug, as if to say, _Well, I'm only telling the truth._

"I've never had a proper girlfriend." He sighs, settling himself down from your earlier comment. "And it's probably because I've never tried."

The way he oh-so proudly proclaims his relationship status reminds you of yourself, in a way - you tend to dwell on the fact that all the people you've liked became nothing more than an _almost lover_ , never surpassing anything but such a title. You could probably pin it on your stubbornness, your resistance to intimacy. The way you shrivelled up when they came too close for comfort, a makeshift mimosa flower, became such a standard way of life to you. So, no matter how much you desperately wanted them to stay, they simply didn't.

"I've never tried, either," you return, under your breath. Your gaze is elsewhere, but he's taken aback by your reply, eyes widened. You want to glare at this half stranger, tell him he has no business acting so surprised - but honestly, that's what you've been doing to him, too.

The bell clinks then, signifying the entrance of a customer. You rise from your seat then, instinctively, greeting them. As you get ready to return to the counter, a hand pulls gently around your wrist, stopping you. "Wait," the boy says, his tone just as surprised as you are.

An eyebrow raised, you turn to look at him once more. His cheeks are a light pink, flushing against his skin. He won't meet your gaze, and he's on the brink of letting a sentence seep out from his lips.

 _Don't tell me_ , you think. _Is he going to...?_

"Would you like to go...well...go for coffee later? After your shift, of course. And at some other place...you don't have to make me anything..." he finishes with a lilt of laughter under his breath, and you can tell he's exerting himself to ask you this. 

You can hear Chaeyoung trying not to burst into laughter behind you. But you're standing here now, your hand being held by this innocent looking boy, tittering as he attempts to ask you out on a date. This boy that you've been watching go on dates every two weeks for the past three months, each one failing every time.

So who's to say this one will work out, too?

"Sure," you say, releasing yourself from his weakening grip. You're trying your best not to show any hint of emotion, but for some reason, a bundle of nerves seems to throb deep within the confines of your chest. "I finish in three hours." 

His gaze lightens and shifts back to you. _Cute_ , you think, before shaking it away. 

"I'll wait for you!" Yoosung exclaims, waving at you now as you move back to the cashier.

Your fingers shift to the list of orders that arrived from the new wave of customers, trying to keep your mind busy. Chaeyoung is smirking, taunting you, and you're trying to avoid her.

"What was that about me being his next victim?" she presses in a low tone, an eyebrow raised suggestively. "You better pay me back for that cheesecake." 

You turn your back to her, opening the coffee presser, knowing that this boy will not tear his gaze away from you. "Shut up," you groan, even though your lips seem to curl into a small smile.

 _God,_ you tell yourself. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	3. i push up my glasses, - (Jaehee x MC)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if I said Jaehee is the one that loves you in every route?  
> (Includes Gay Pining™, a bit of MC x 707, takes place after Jaehee's good ending.) 
> 
> Based off of the song "I Push Up My Glasses" by Nikko Benson and Claire Tran.

[the song.](https://youtu.be/s5h_4btu3mE)

"Jaehee, would you mind getting a bit more of the soy beans from the storage? I think we're running out." MC had her back turned, facing the counter as a short line of customers came about for their daily orders. 

"Oh, of course." 

Jaehee, scooping her hair into a half attempted bun, began to embark on her search for the soy beans. The storage room was dark and cramped, despite the small window that provided an ample amount of light to at least give her a sense of direction on what she was doing. Her eyes roamed across the labelled jars, neatly squeezed together on the shelves. MC took it upon herself to take initiative in cleaning and organising the place. _Let me do all the dirty work_ , she teased then. Jaehee protested, but she knew she couldn't win against her. 

Opening a coffee shop together was no easy feat. The rumble and tumble of investors and swiftly avoiding anything related to her former boss was enough to send her into a whirlpool of disaster. She hated to admit it, but there were moments she doubted whether or not she could make her long-dead ambitions into reality. 

But if there was one thing her life taught her, it was perseverance. If there was anything Zen taught her, it was to be goal-oriented when it came to her passions. 

And if there was anything MC taught her, it would be that love and support triumph all. 

Either way, her current reality was nothing short of a dream. The daily shifts, the curling aroma of coffee and pastries that welcomed her gently upon arrival, the appreciation the customers gave her whenever she gave them their orders. Perhaps even the way her co-founder seemed to always smile at her every morning, their conversations dwindling into a waltz of routine that Jaehee never got tired of, and the steam that glistened against her cheeks as she brewed a new cup...

She wasn't the type to overreact (except when it came to Zen, of course), but she adored the change that her lifestyle had gone through. 

"Jaehee?" a voice chimed behind her. It's a girl she's grown so accustomed to seeing, a face as familiar as her own. Her eyebrows were raised, bright auburn eyes peering through the shelves as she drew closer to her, curiosity tinging her tone. "Do you need help finding it?"

"Yes," she replied, defeated. She couldn't exactly see much in this light, including the fact that her sight had begun to falter. Maybe it's the fact that she'd been wearing glasses for so long. She's yet to grow accustomed to not wearing them. "I'm sorry. I didn't check the stock list today."

"Oh, don't apologise, silly," MC chuckled, grabbing the stool below their feet. "I'm the one in charge of organising, aren't I?"

She stepped onto the wooden stool, lightly anchoring herself as she places her palm on Jaehee's shoulder. Her free hand reached up to the top of the shelves, where Jaehee catches her fingers lingering through the labels of each container. Whenever they're this close, and it's this quiet, the rhythmic thumping of her heart seems to quicken in her ears, MC's gentle breaths almost causing her to combust.

There's no true conclusion to why she feels this way. Maybe it's the fact that she's not used to such physical intimacy with anyone. Maybe it's because MC smells of daisies meshed with her favourite caffeinated scent, and the very whiff of it sends her into a phase of saccharine daydreams. 

_Goodness,_ Jaehee thought. _What's wrong with me?_

"You know," she heard MC say, her tone lilting. "Luciel says he's going to visit us today." 

"He has the time for that?" was the reply, tone slightly accusatory. But it was true. Luciel had no time for anything, not even proper meals. Why was he deciding to actually go outside to drop by? 

Her best friend giggled, head still turned away from her."He wants to show me the new presentation he made again. For Jumin's cat hotel proposal."

"He's still not over that?" Jumin had yet again brought up the possibility of a new cat hotel chain in the chatroom, his current assistant still faltering behind his expectations, as high as they were. Luciel then offered to help, ensuring that he would be serious this time. 

_"No long cat!"_ He seemed to shout in the messenger. _"This time, I'm going to use Elly as my muse! Meow!"_

"Yep," MC giggles. "He's so cute, I almost think he's actually trying this time."

"If by trying you mean trying to annoy Mr. Han again, then you might be right." Jaehee can't help but notice the way she talks about Luciel nowadays. It's different, as if she thinks of him more fondly than before. She sees it in their conversations, the playfulness the both of them share. This isn't the first time she's thrown a comment about something the boy was upto - more often than not, she'd even catch her laughing at her phone, and Jaehee'd know who she was talking to.

It's almost a bit of deja vu, as if she's seen this scene a million times before. 

A throbbing ache seems to catch her chest, surging through her lungs. The woman seems to inhale sharply, unknowing emotions enveloping her whole. 

"Oh!" MC yelps. "I found it! Why is it all the way back here?"

Jaehee helps her step down, a hand knotted across her fingers. Something urges her to not let go, but MC is looking up at her now, delicate features peering curiously and _nearly driving her insane._

"Hm?" the girl hums, tilting her head. "Is something wrong?" 

Jaehee opens her mouth, on the verge of letting words flow from her lips. But there's a force that pulls her away from letting something she'll regret interrupt this perfect life she's built for herself. She stiffens then, clamping her mouth shut, before shaking her head.

Her hand releases MC's, but concern still strikes her - MC's - face.

"Are you sure?" she inquires. The jar of beans is secured under her arm, Jaehee notes, and her face is too close for comfort.

"Yes," she then sighs, salvaging a small chuckle. "We should go before the customers start complaining."


	4. silence and comfort come hand in hand. - (Jumin x V)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a solemn moment shared between the two during 707's AE, the night before V's passing and perhaps a night Jumin will never forget. messily written, but eh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> loosely inspired from the line "i thought of the nights i had lain awake loving him in silence" from the song of achilles.

Silence equated normalcy when it came to Jumin Han. He was never a talker unless required, and he spent most of his days with as minimal conversation as he could attest to. Besides Assistant Kang, the only one he spoke to the most on a regular basis was his Elizabeth the 3rd. 

And he preferred it. There was no point in trying to generate words from the tongue when it was clearly useless, and proved to waste more energy than gain anything of genuine interest. 

So this was, perhaps. the first time he despised the quiet. Here, in a hospital room, where low mutters amplified in the hallway, and his hands were trying their hardest to do anything but shake. 

Jihyun was still unconscious. It had been half a day since he was admitted into the hospital, around four hours since Jumin had sprinted here, his mind hazy and blurred together, unfurling into complete disarray. 

Assistant Kang, hell, even  _ Zen  _ could tell he was reacting differently. They had offered to stay here in place of him, anything to help ease his mind. 

But not knowing what would happen to his dearest friend in his absence was the biggest thing that ravaged his thoughts, especially with the way his gaze stuck to the bandage wrapped around Jihyun’s abdomen, emphasizing the shallow rise and fall of his chest. 

Why was he thinking such things? Truly, it was never like him to panic. He would simply indulge in handling this situation by contacting the required authorities, or ensure that his friend would get the best medical attention there was, then go home peacefully.  _ That  _ was something he would do. Hell, it was the only rational thing he  _ should _ do. 

“Ah…” Jihyun huffed, catching Jumin’s attention completely, the silence finally breaking. A pair of mint eyes blinked up at him, barely open, as he approached him carefully.

“Jihyun,” Jumin breathed. “You’re awake.” 

A pause shifted between the two, before Jumin had let out a sharp exhale.  _ He was fine. See, what use was there worrying over nothing?  _

“Do you know where you are?” he inquired, his tone as gentle as he could allow it. “I shall call a nurse. Give me a moment.” 

“Jumin…” Jihyun coughed. A hand, soft and eager, crept to the sleeve of Jumin’s suit, tugging at the fabric weakly. “ _ Wait _ . Don’t go.” 

“I need to let them know you’re awake,” he quips. 

“Yes. Right.” His eyes searched for his surroundings, his expression faint. “But I only need a minute, Jumin. Will you stay?”

The request seemed to inflict something in him, something that not even Elizabeth could acquire. Something squeezed within his chest, and the realization that he could never say no to someone as important to him as Jihyun resonating in his head as he finally nodded, hesitantly.

“I know I have done nothing to deserve it, but…” Jihyun swallows, closing his eyes. “Could you...could you put your arms around me, Jumin?”

_ What?  _

It was almost half obvious how the surprise on Jumin’s face garnered a small smile to form on his friend’s lips, as if expecting him to react that way. He shook his head then, “Never mind,” he muttered, “I know you were never the type to show affection. I shouldn’t have made such a reque-”

Jumin had never hugged anyone. Not exactly. He found it one of the many physical gestures that took too much energy. The women his father brought often made use of such a gesture with him, same with people that surrounded him when he was younger. He never initiated them.

But now, as he anchored his back by Jihyun’s bedside, ever so gently, with his arms creeping around the crook of his neck and pulling him close, his breath wavering against his friend’s, it seemed there was some sort of importance to it, after all. 

Especially when he had always wanted to be this close to him, even after all these years. 

He felt Jihyun chuckle into his neck, palms roaming across his back, patting him reassuringly. The fact that he was the one offering comfort, when he himself was in a hospital bed, bandaged across his torso, almost made Jumin want to hold him tighter.

“You truly are an idiot, Jihyun,” he mumbled. “You are one of the most idiotic people I know.” 

“I know,” he replied. “And I hold that title well.” 

“You should.” 

Minutes shifted slowly. He had made space in the bed for another, and now the two were basking in the other’s presence, the kind that only a pair of old friends could ever possess. 

Conversation between the two fell in the passing of instantaneous sentences. Jumin’s arm fell around his shoulder, Jihyun’s on the side of his thigh. He had wondered where the promise of  _ only a minute  _ went, when they were in each other’s company for what seemed like hours.

Perhaps it was the reprehension of the missing time they had never spent with each other. The years of age that bore on their skin, and the pain they had yet to share. 

_ (For after all, loving someone in desperate silence can only last so long.) _

Jihyun eventually drifted off into a phase of slumber, shaky breaths reflecting against his shoulder. Jumin's face was unreadable, but perhaps what he felt could be the closest to what one would resemble with comfort. Something in him that _begged_ for this moment to last longer, at least for a moment more. 

But alas, a knock on the door and the rumble of a nurse was what cut him back to this reality. The one where Jumin had to edge away from Jihyun’s touch yet again, where he had been scorned by a love Jumin could never come close to. 

He was always so infuriatingly bright. Especially with Rika. And even now, when everything was said and done, and he was left to pick up the pieces of their ill-fated story. 

“Visiting hours are over, sir,” she inquired. “Did he wake up?”

Jumin straightened his suit, pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves. His eyes peered back to Jihyun, the peacefulness of his expression, and the resolve of how he felt pressed against him. It seemed to squander within the depths of skin, the lingering sensation nearly burning him alive.

“Only for a few seconds,” he replied, promptly, moving past her. “I’ll be going, now. Goodnight.”

He offered one more look at his friend through the crack of the door before leaving. Hopefully, tomorrow, he wouldn’t remember what had happened. 

Hopefully, Jumin wouldn't, either. 


	5. campus daydreams. - (Yoosung x MC)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoosung finds out MC goes to the same university as him. A lot of fluff, teasing, and falling in love all over again ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short but i listened to campus by vampire weekend and immediately thought of Him. i'll probably expand on this whole yoosung-and-mc-are-campus-mates thing someday but for now have this

Surely, it had come as a surprise that the two went to the same university. Well, to be more specific,  _ Yoosung _ was the one who came boggle eyed when he caught MC on the gates of the university, grinning at him from a distance. 

It was a little funny, how Yoosung seemed to know everything and nothing about her at the same time. He knew the deepest itches of her heart, and her knowing his. He wrote notes about her favorite colors, meals, even doodles that emphasized the sunshine shade of her eyes. 

So where did he forget to ask her which university she went to?

“Good morning!” MC waved, cheerfully, letting his chin fall slack. “I’m so glad we actually go to classes together today.”

“But…” he began, moving his hands in circular motions, attempting to thread words together to form a feasible sentence. Was it the lack of vision kicking in? Maybe he was starting to see things, having to depend on his left eye a lot more now. “How...when... _ what _ …” 

She approached him, closer this time, giggling under her breath. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“You’re kidding, right?” The blond pouted, the girl slipping her arm around his out of habit. “This is just another prank Seven told you to pull, right?”

Shaking her head, she shuffled through her coat, revealing the gleam of her school ID before his eyes. “You said you wanted to meet at the party first before you asked me out. So I kept it to myself.”

“That’s not something you just keep to yourself!” Yoosung exclaimed. “That means I could’ve passed you so many times without knowing…” This was all somewhat of a shock to him. And he didn’t mean it in a bad way, of course - it just felt uncanny that something as big as this was hidden from him.

Although, to be fair, he’s hidden things even worse from her. Like his eye, for one. But she found that one out eventually.

And now he figured it out, too.

MC lifted her free hand and gently poked at his cheek, puffing her cheeks. “Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

She tied her hair into a high ponytail today, a yellow scrunchie. A cream colored woolen cardigan wrapped warmly around her figure, falling to the back of her knees. She had cuffed jeans and a white shirt tucked into it. She had one of Yoosung’s pins hung to the breast of the cardigan’s fabric - he let her have one. It was purple with a yellow star in the middle. 

Perhaps if she could look this pretty everyday, there would be no reason to be so bitter about it. 

“Agh, you know I can’t stay mad at you,” he returned in a playful tone similar to hers, before the two broke into a small fit of laughter. Yoosung found himself facing her, fidgeting with the fabric of her flowing cardigan, because he didn’t know what to do with his hands. They were still in the entrance of the university, and fellow students were swarming past them in the brick pathway, a chorus of trees framing the couple as they muttered a conversation about their morning, or how  _ much _ they’ve missed each other. 

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“You asked that in the chatroom already.”

“I want to eat with you,” he huffed. “Now that I can see you everyday. I’m going to savour it.”

“Me too,” she replied, her smile brightening. “But I’m full. We should just have lunch together in the cafeteria.”

“Nuh-uh, I want it to be more special.”

“We’re both college students, babe. I don’t think we can afford  _ special _ at this hour of the day.” 

“Then we’ll do it someday, okay? We can just go get chicken.” 

“Okay, okay. We will.” 

Yoosung always wanted something like this. Something this  _ sweet _ , full of belonging. Even if he knew that he was being incredibly cringy in front of others, and they were probably giving them weird looks.  _ Look at that couple,  _ they would sneer.  _ Too early for this much affection.  _ He was one of them before, on the rare days he actually  _ went  _ to class. Who knew he would find himself here?

He glanced at his wrist to look at the time - it was a watch he bought at a convenience store, close enough to belong to a middle school boy. Flashy colors and thin leather. 

“You have a lecture soon, right?” he asked. He recalled her saying she had her first class at 8:30. His was around 8:45. “I’ll drop you.” 

Taking his hand, she provided no response besides a single nod as she led him into the campus, taking the lead in all her cheerful fervor. Yoosung protested, telling her to slow down, but he still smiled from the warmth that soared within his chest from the way her small fingers wrapped around his as they speed walked through the breeze.

He  _ really _ could get used to this. 

  
  



End file.
